By Kate Olsen
According to several studies profiled in this Washington Post piece, a bonus you spend on
someone else is more motivating than a bonus you spend on yourself. Here are three reasons helping your employees ‘pay it forward’ with charity rewards will engender their loyalty to your company. Charity rewards include pre-paid donations in the form of charity gift cards, ‘dollars for doers’ volunteer incentives, and matching grants.
1) Social Proof: Actions and behaviors you incentivize and reward publicly inform your company’s workplace culture. If you prioritize individual and corporate citizenship and reward milestones or thank employees with a gift of charity, you reinforce those citizenship values. You also attract the type of employee who wants to work in an environment that values social responsibility.
2) ‘Helper’s High’: Doing good creates a chemical reaction in the brain--a feeling of euphoria known as the ‘Helper’s High’. When you enable that feeling in your employees, they associate their passion for a cause or doing good with your company.
3) Individual Spirit: Part of what is so compelling about spending a bonus on someone else is that the act is an expression of individualism and personal values. One person may wish to support a local food bank, while another is passionate about preventing Malaria deaths in Africa. When you give employees choice in charity, your company is demonstrating that you respect them as individuals and seek to help them give back in a way that is personally meaningful and rewarding.
Learn how your company can boost your employee engagement program with charity rewards here.
